New year and a new start

Although I completely fell off the blogging wagon this past year, I am reviving this blog to participate in two stitching challenges in 2012.  First of all, I am doing a modified crazy January challenge, where I will work on a different project every day from January 1 through January 15th, and then try to finish all of them by the end of the year.  Most will be WIPs, which will fit in with the other challenge, the 2012 WIPocalypse, which is all about finishing the WIPs.  The latter requires blogging every month, so hopefully, the blog will stay alive this year.  :)

I need to get my list(s) of projects together, but I'm still away from home.  I have a few I can think of off the top of my head though:

Plant Love by Lizzie Kate
Phoenix by Joan Elliott
Sweet Pea by Nora Corbett
New Year's Fairy by Nora Corbett
Baby sampler (various designers)
Dragon Dreams afghan (afgan SAL on SanMan board)
Irish Toast by Cross My Heart
Cookie Monster scarf (crochet)

Well, that's over half for the January challenge!  I'll get a more complete list together once I get home to my stash.  :)

Life's been crazy!

So, I am finally getting around to updating.  The last month and a half has been just insane.  I found out my job was getting eliminated, my gall bladder went bad and had to be taken out, and despite all that my mom and I still managed to take the tour to Italy that she had already paid for.  Italy was fantastic, the job and gall bladder situation not so much. 

So back to stitching!  I really didn't stitch at all on the Italy trip.  By the time we got back to the room at night, we were exhausted.  And I've had some trouble getting back into stitching since I've been back due to jetlag and something causing dizzy spells and lightheadedness.  Meh.  But I've been able to work on smaller projects.  And I even have a few small happy dances.

This is Wanda Witch by Shephard's Bush.  I got this as a kit from a grab bag.  I actually finished her before the gall bladder episode, but never posted her.

This is one of the projects I took to Italy, but never worked on.  I managed to get it finished once I got home.  It's by Lizzie Kate and stitched on fabric I dyed myself with acrylic paint.

This is another grab bag kit by Charland Designs and is intended to be finished as a scissors case.  I've finished all the cross stitch for the front and back sides, and now it just needs to be finished into the case. 















World Steam Expo is coming up very soon and I have so much still to do!  I have to finish my new skirt and figure out my accessories.  My character is a seamstress, and while I have great ideas for making a steampunk sewing box, actually doing it is a lot harder.  I really wish I had some mechanical talent!

Some finishes and some progress

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting for February.  I decided posting monthly goals is a bit silly if I don't post anywhere near the beginning of the month.  I think going with my yearly goals and my weekly stitching schedule is a better way to go.  And speaking of my yearly goals, I got an old WIP done!

This is Sharing the Holiday by Sanman Originals and it's a freebie from 2007, I think.  Instead of stitching the lights, I sewed on minature plastic lights, and I replaced the stitched snowflakes in the background with plastic buttons.  I got the idea from someone on the Sanman board who did the same thing.  I plan to finish it as a no sew cube.







I've also been keeping my goal of sewing every weekend (ok, almost every weekend).  I've been working on quilts.

This is a wall hanging that came as a kit.  I got the top completely sewn...now it needs to be quilted.

This is square #1 of a Quilt Square of the Month quilt.  I picked up all 12 squares and the setting kit on uber clearence at Joann's a few years ago.  I'd like to finish the quilt this year.

 
And this is square #2.












And a small crocheted finish:

This was a request from my friend, well actually her niece, for a crocheted baby.













And now for some progress pictures of some of my WIPs.  But not all of them...I have waaaaay too many!

This is Irish Toast by Cross My Heart.  I stitched once (on Aida, argh!) for my grandmother, but I wanted one for me.  And the fabric is perfect!  It has been a WIP for far too long.

This is Minature Winter Sampler by Teresa Wentzler.  I have the autumn one done, and I was very glad to see she released the spring one last year, so I  have more incentive to finish this now.

This is Mike Vickery's Celtic Seasons, another very old WIP.  I'm trying to work on it, but it keeps getting frogs.  Stupid frogs.

And finally, good old Peacock Tapestry by Teresa Wentzler.  I started this over 10 years ago.  It is just one monster of a design, although it is gorgeous.  I was completely stuck in the pear leaves, so I gave up and moved to the grass at the bottom.  I was able to stitch that section of grass in January just working 2 days a week (Tuesday and Thursday are my TW days).  This month I'm taking a break and working on the Winter Sampler.

Valentine-themed weekend

Despite not feeling the greatest, I had one of the most productive weekends ever!  I stopped by the post office on Friday and picked up some Valentine designs I ordered from the Sanman January newsletter.  I kitted all three designs up that afternoon and had two of them stitched and the other started before bedtime.  I even pulled out an old Valentine ornament that I hadn't quite finished and got that done too!  And then on Saturday, I did the finishing for the three stitched pieces, framed my Mirabilia Valentine fairy, and finished stitching the last of the Sanman designs.  And then on Sunday, I "finished" the last design (just had to cut it down and slide it into a tuck) and put all my Valentine decorations up.  So yeah, very productive.  :)

And now pictures!

This is Sanman's 2011 Valentine charmer which came with the pillow and charm.

Sanman's Pretty Pintin.  I'm actually using it as a decoration instead of holding my pins.

Sanman's Quaker Valentine which came with the gorgeous tuck!

Dragon Dreams Mystery Valentine Dragon.  This was a contest last year, where the designer gave us the chart and we had to pick colors.  I ended up missing the deadline, so it sat mostly stitched all year until I picked it up Friday night and finished it off.

My Valentine's decorations!  Yes, I like giraffes. 

And finally, my framed Valentine fairy.  That pretty mat came with the frame and she fits perfectly!

More goals!

Well, I decided with all the stitching I want to do this year, I should try a stitching schedule.  I may not stick to it long, but I'll try for a while.  So, my schedule:

Monday-Mirabilia (have 2 in progress, want to start 1 more)
Tuesday-TW (any one of 5 in progress...forgot a couple earlier)
Wednesday-WIP (old or new)
Thursday-TW (same as Tuesday or a different one)
Friday and Saturday-Free choice
Sunday-Old WIP (at least 2 years old)

I left Friday and Saturday open, because I go to my mom's a lot of weekends, and I don't always get to stitch there.  It also leaves a lot of flexability, which may help me keep to this schedule.  I was good this week.  I started Tuesday, with Peacock Tapestry, where I just kitted up grass colors and threaded needles.  Wednesday, I pulled out a SanMan Christmas design from 2007.  Thursday was back to PT, and I actually stitched a bit.  Friday and Saturday, I worked on Mike Vickery's Celtic Seasons, another pretty old WIP. 

I've already accomplished some of my monthly goals.  I finished No Tip Toes Needed by Sanman Originals.

Naturally, I had to stitch this, it's a giraffe.
















I also did some finishing, by making a no sew cube of Sanman's Winter Quaker.

This is my first no sew cube.  I didn't quite have the right kind of ribbon for the sides (mine is see through and it should be solid so you can't see where the fabric is folded), but it's just for me.  You can't see it, but the thinner ribbon for the bow has "Let it snow" printed on it.  :) 







And finally, I did get some sewing done this weekend.  Someone posted a link to a free pattern to make chicken pincushions, and I couldn't resist trying.  And it was so easy!  Even for me!

I'm keeping the all blue one, and my mom wants the black and white/ladybug one.  The other two I'll probably give away eventually.

Happy New Year!

Well, I meant to post once more before the holidays, but it just didn't happen.  Ah well.  So, I guess I'll just start fresh with the new year.  This year, I have a lot of projects in mind.  I need to work on my steampunk costume.  I want to do more sewing this year, not just on costumes, but I have some quilting projects I want to work on.  In fact, I'd like to try to do at least a little sewing every weekend that I'm home.  On the cross stitch front, I want to pull out my three Teresa Wentzlers that have been in progress far too long (Peacock Tapestry, Dragon Ride, and Egyptian Sampler) and work on them.  I'd like to finish five old projects this year.  I'd love it if one of them was one of the TWs, but we'll see.  I may or may not be able to get really into them.  I'd just settle for progress.  I also need to crochet a bit more.  I have so many amigurumi patterns!  And oh yeah, there's also the Mirabilia project where I want 12 Mirabilias to rotate monthly on one wall.  I did get the last of the patterns, so now it's just a matter of stitching them.  I'd like to finish at least two this year.  Well, that's enough to keep me busy, I think!

So now to pictures.  First, the last HDs of 2010. 

The last Sanman jar!  Now, I have to decide how I want to finish these.

Another Sanman....Quaker Winter.  I hope Sandy keeps designing these, I love them!  I plan on finishing this as a no sew cube (well, rectangle). 















And I even have a HD of 2011!  I had this mostly done, and since it's for winter, I just sat Sunday night and finished it.

This is a Mill Hill kit done on perforated paper.  I stuck a magnet on the back, and now it's on the fridge.
















So, I posted my yearly goals earlier, but here are my monthly goals:

January goals:
Finish Sanman's No Tip Toes Needed
Work on a TW
Make a quilt square
Work on costume
Start a new Mirabilia
Make crochet "baby" for Melanie
Do some finishing

Happy 2011 everyone!